Flintridge Prep Kicks Off 80th School Year

Flintridge Preparatory Schoolhas launched its 80th school year. The co-ed school for grades 7-12 has a long tradition of creating a rigorous, engaging, and nurturing learning environment. Located in the foothills of La Cañada, Prep’s leafy campus provides an intimate setting for students from theLos Angelesarea to excel academically and athletically while developing the skills necessary to be successful in a changing world. The school’s faculty and administration know that encouraging students to take intellectual and creative risks is at the heart of a 21st century education.

Prep’s 500 students — 50 each in seventh and eighth grades, and 100 in each high school class — enjoy close relationships with their teachers and each other; the average class size is 12 students. Prep’s outstanding curriculum includes science, math, the humanities, physical education, and visual and performing arts, and the school fields a full complement of competitive athletic teams for boys and girls. Many faculty members have more than 20 years of service at the school, and most hold advanced degrees.

But Prep is much more than books, test scores, arts programs, and sporting events. A leader in innovation, the school recently won a grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation for its ground-breaking approach to fostering faculty-driven innovation. Initiatives supported by the grant provide the extra encouragement to take students out of the classroom and into the world around them.

Four of the initiatives supported by the grant tell a complete story of a Prep education, one that goes beyond GPAs, AP scores, and college matriculations. The longest-standing initiative is a faculty and student collaboration with a variety of organizations inNicaragua. Another celebratesLos Angelesby incorporating the metropolis into all areas of the curriculum. The school’s community impact project initiative takes community service beyond mere service hours by asking students to measure their impact on the world around them. And Prep’s newly founded mentoring program gives high school students access to alumni and parents who provide career and college advice and internship opportunities. With these and other programs, the school goes well beyond college preparation, giving students a complete set of tools that they can use to engage a constantly evolving world.

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